Call handling

• US 9,253,331 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2014
• Issued: 02/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Koenig, Lionel
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Khai N
• Application Number:
  US14/173,523
• Publication Number:
  US 20150124950A1
• Time in Patent Office: 727 Days
• Field of Search: 379/90.01, 379/93.01, 379/93.21, 379/157, 379/158, 379/201.01, 379/202.01, 379/207.01, 370/259, 370/260, 370/261, 370/262, 455/414.1, 455/416
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/04 the ringing-current being generated at the substations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2094 Proximity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/002 Applications of echo suppressors or cancellers in telephonic connections in two-way loud-speaking telephone systems H04M9/08, echo suppressors or cancellers per se H04B3/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/563 User guidance or feature selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/568 audio processing specific to telephonic conferencing, e.g. spatial distribution, mixing of participants echo suppression in two-way loud-speaking telephone systems H04M9/02; sound field processing per se H04S7/30

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a technique whereby a user device joins a call conducted over a network, generates audio which can be processed to identify that user device and, during the call, outputs the audio such that it can be received by another user device in the vicinity of the user device which is already participating in the call, thereby enabling the other user device to identify that user device.

Claims

1. A user device comprising:

a network interface for connecting to a network;

an audio output component for outputting audio signals to a loudspeaker of the user device;

a processor configured to execute a communication client, said client operable to;

join a call conducted over said network;

at the user device, code an identifier of the user device into audio generated at the user device;

during the call, output said audio via the audio output component such that said audio can be received by a microphone of another user device, and processed to identify the user device by the another user device, in the vicinity of the user device, already participating in the call;

determine that the another user device has identified the user device; and

responsive to said determination, do at least one of;

notify a user of the user device of said identification via a user interface of the client;

reduce an audio level at the user device;

supply audio from an audio input component of the user device to an audio processing component for processing;

or

trigger selection by a selection component of one of an audio input component of the user device, or an audio input component of the another user device, for use during the call.

2. The user device according to claim 1, wherein each user device which joins the call generates respective audio which can be processed to identify that user device, the audio generated by the user device being unique to at least one of:

the user device and a user of the user device within the call.

3. The user device according to claim 1, wherein said identifier is coded in said audio as one of:

a time-frequency distribution of the audio or an audio watermark.

4. The user device according to claim 1, wherein said audio output by the client of said user device contains a plurality of discernible tones which code said identifier.

5. The user device according to claim 4, wherein said tones correspond to filters of a filter bank.

6. The user device according to claim 1, wherein the audio is output by the client upon joining the call.

7. The user device according to claim 1, wherein the audio is generated using a procedural audio algorithm.

8. The user device according to claim 1, wherein the identifier is numerical, alphabetical, or alphanumerical.

9. A user device comprising:

a network interface for connecting to a network;

an audio input component for receiving audio signals from a loudspeaker of a second user device;

a processor configured to execute a communication client, said client operable to;

participate in a call conducted over said network;

whilst the client is participating in the call, receive audio via the audio input component, said audio having been generated at the second user device in the vicinity of the user device and output by the second user device during the call, an identifier associated with the second user device having been coded into said audio at the second user device;

at the user device, extract the identifier from the received audio to identify the second user device; and

do at least one of;

transmit, in response to said identification, a notification to the network so as to inform the second user device of said identification;

supply audio from the audio input component of the user device to an audio processing component for processing;

or

trigger selection by a selection component of one of the audio input component of the user device, or an audio input component of the second user device, for use during the call.

10. The user device according to claim 9, wherein said audio contains a plurality of discernible tones having a time-frequency distribution, said distribution coding said identifier.

11. The user device according to claim 9, wherein said processing comprises performing a filter bank analysis.

12. The user device according to claim 9, wherein the user device is operable to cause operation of at least one of the user device or the second user device to be modified in response to said identification.

13. The user device according to claim 9, wherein the client is operable to transmit the notification to a call manager managing the call.

14. The user device according to claim 9, wherein the user device is operable to receive said audio during a detection phase instigated in response to receiving, from the network, a notification of the second user device having joined the call.

15. A method of handling a call conducted over a network, the method being performed at a user device whilst participating in said call and comprising:

receiving audio via an audio input component of the user device, said audio having been generated by a second user device in the vicinity of the user device and output by a loudspeaker of the second user device during the call, an identifier associated with the user device having been coded into said audio at the second user device;

responsive to said receiving the audio, extracting the identifier to identify the second user device; and

performing at least one of;

transmitting, in response said identification, a notification to the network so as to inform the second user device of said identification;

supplying audio from the audio input component of the user device to an audio processing component for processing;

or

triggering selection by a selection component of one of the audio input component of the user device, or an audio input component of the second user device, for use during the call.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said audio comprises a plurality of discernible tones having a time-frequency distribution, said tones correspond to filters of a filter bank, and said distribution codes an identifier associated with the second user device.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the identifier is numerical, alphabetical, or alphanumerical.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein said extracting comprises performing filter bank analysis using a filter bank.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein said identifier is coded in said audio as one of:

a time-frequency distribution of the audio or an audio watermark.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein each user device which joins the call generates respective audio which can be processed to identify that user device, the audio generated by the user device being unique to at least one of:

the user device and a user of the user device within the call.

21. A user device comprising:

a network interface for connecting to a network;

an audio output component for outputting audio signals;

a processor configured to execute a communication client, said client operable to;

join a call conducted over said network;

at the user device, code an identifier into audio generated at the user device;

during the call, output said audio via the audio output component such that said audio can be received and processed to identify the user device by a second user device, in the vicinity of the user device, already participating in the call;

determine that the second user device has identified the user device; and

responsive to said determination, do at least one of;

notify a user of the user device of said identification via a user interface of the client

reduce an audio level at the user device;

supply audio from an audio input component of the user device to an audio processing component for processing;

trigger selection by a selection component of one of an audio input component of the user device and an audio input component of the second user device for use during the call.

22. A user device comprising:

a network interface for connecting to a network;

an audio input component for receiving audio signals;

a processor configured to execute a communication client, said client operable to;

participate in a call conducted over said network;

whilst the client is participating in the call, receive audio via the audio input component, said audio having been generated at a second user device in the vicinity of the user device and output by the second user device during the call, an identifier associated with the user device having been coded into said audio at the second user device;

at the user device, extract the identifier from the received audio to identify the second user device; and

do at least one of;

transmit, in response to said identification, a notification to the network so as to inform the second user device of said identification;

supply audio from the audio input component of the user device to an audio processing component for processing;

trigger selection by a selection component of one of the audio input component of the user device and an audio input component of the second user device for use during the call.